A Major Obstacle to Growing as a Leader
Due to the fact that I have worked as a psychologist and family coach over the past 20 years, I have had the privilege of observing and interacting with thousands of individuals and families. Obviously, some people are more healthy and functional than others.
And it is clear that we all have problems, so the …
Stop Striving for Perfection!
In Debora Spar’s book, Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection, the Barnard college President writes that striving for perfection is a futile goal and it will only lead to frustration and unhappiness. Debora Spar never thought of herself as a feminist. Raised after the tumult of the 1960s, she presumed the gender …
5 Steps to Making the Best Connections
Most job seekers know connections are important. Especially when about 70 percent of job postings aren’t advertised, it’s all about who you know when trying to find a job.
According to a recent survey, 92 percent of recruiters said they made a hiring decision because the candidate was a personal connection or they heard about …
6 Steps to Scoring a Promotion in the Next 30 Days
Asking for a promotion is one of the best things you can do for your career.
As the summer months begin to heat up, this is a great time to accomplish some of your career goals. Research shows June is one of the best months to land a promotion, so now is the time to …
Traditional Affirmations Don’t Work – Do This Instead
Before Minnesota Senator Al Franken stepped into politics he was a comedian and regular on Saturday Night Live back in the 80s.
Franken had a character named, “Stuart Smalley,” who hosted a regular segment called, “Daily Affirmations.”
Smalley’s foundational affirmation for himself was, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and doggone it people like me!”…
What Can Baseball Teach Us About Business
Last week I had the privilege and pleasure of watching my son’s baseball team play and win the Washington State 3A Championship. More than a few times during the championship game I was reminded that baseball is a lot like business. There are a lot of moving parts to monitor, evaluate and respond to… in …
Having a Center of Influence Plan
A center of influence (COI) is a person you know or wish to know, who is well connected in a certain geographic or professional marketplace. This person has many contacts and is well respected in his or her network.
In most cases the COI is a professional who has influence in a certain network of …
Does College Make Financial Sense? Part 2
In my first installment on this topic, I introduced three methods for comparing the financial paybacks of college education…. payback of a specific degree from a specific college, average payback of college for typical professions, and average payback of all students based upon the college attended. Virtually no one considers these factors in deciding whether …
Strategies to Improve Calls and Increase Sales
The successful sales professional will begin all conversations from the prospective client’s point of view. They encourage prospective clients to speak first and share everything on their mind. This is the simplest and most direct route for understanding what the prospective client truly needs, wants, and desires, and is the key for quickly getting to …
Penetrating the Hidden Job Market
In the current job market, it’s not unusual for people to be looking for jobs over many months. It’s a very competitive market, and job openings are few. This situation is amplified by the herd mentality whereby people deploy the job search strategies commonly used in the past. For example, asking people about their target …